In a tragic incident involving death of five-year-old Ravi, who suffered blood cancer, his aunt was accused of drowning him in Ganga river. After doctors declared the boy’s condition ‘incurable’, a faith healer suggested that his parents take him for a 5-minute ‘holy dip’ in Ganga river.
A video emerged on the internet on Thursday, showing the boy’s aunt laughing hysterically at the boy’s body asking him to get up, was shared on social media. The incident happened in Haridwar, Uttarakhand, the temple town revered by Hindus who go there to fulfil their wishes.
Some netizens accused the woman of being “blinded by superstition and killing the boy by drowning him in the river”.
However, according to police, Ravi’s family brought him to take a dip in Ganga, after he passed away, in hopes of reviving him. “Doctors had told Ravi’s parents there was no cure for his disease,” police said.
Speaking to Siasat.com, Haridwar inspector confirmed that the child had died six hours before he was brought to Ganga.
However, the distraught parents could not bear the thought of having lost their child, and decided to take take his body for a ‘holy dip’ Ganga. A Hindu sage had told the parents that it will treat the child’s cancer.
Believing him, the parents took the help of the child’s aunt Sudha Saini, who entered the water and dipped him for five minutes, although he was dead.
Nearby devotees who witnessed the horrific act intervened and retrieved the body from the river. In a video that went viral on social media, Susha Saini was seen laughing hysterically next to Ravi’s body.
“The whole incident happened in front of Ravi’s parents. As of now no case has been registered,” the Haridwar inspector told Siasat.com.
